Thread displacement device for use with cutting and gripping units of duble cylinder knitting machines

ABSTRACT

THIS DISCLOSURE RELATES TO A DEVICE FOR THE DISPLACEMENT OF THREAD END PORTIONS ADJACENT THE CUTTING AND GRIPPING MEMBERS OF DOUBLE CYLINDER KNITTING MACHINES, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTILINEAR WIRE-LIKE ELEMENT FOR THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE THREAD END PORTIONS DURING THE OPENING OF SAID CUTTING SAID GRIPPING MEMBERS AND ARRNGED TO EXTEND TRANSVERSALLY ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF THE LATTER, A SUPPORT CARRYING SAID WIRE-LIKE MEMBER AND MOUNTED FOR TO-AND-FRO MOVEMENT ON THE FIXED STRUCTURE OF SAID CUTTING AND GRIPPING MEMBERS, AND, A TRANSVERSE ARM MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT AND ARRANGED TO DIS-   PLACE THE MOBILE BLADES OF SAID CUTTING AND GRIPPING MEMBERS.

Jain. -5719,71 'F'. LONATI 3,552,149

THREAD DISPLACEMENT DEVICE.FOR USE WITH CUTTING. AND GRIPPING UNITS OF DOUBLE CYLINDER KNITTING MACHINES Filed April I4, 1969 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

F RAN CESCO LONATI H S-2Q AGENT Jan. 5, 1971 LONATl THREAD DISPLACEMENT DEVICE FOR USE WITH CUTTING AND GRIPPING UNITS OF DOUBLE CYLINDER KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 14, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

FRA N CESCO LONATI F. LONATI Jan. 5, '1971 THREAD DISPLACEMENT DEVICE FOR USE WITH CUTTING AND GRIP-"PING UNITS OF DOUBLE CYLINDER KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 14, 1969 INVENTOR. FRANCE 5C0 LONATI United States Patent O 3,552,149 THREAD DISPLACEMENT DEVICE FOR USE WITH CUTTING AND GRIPPING UNITS F DOUBLE CYLINDER KNITTING MACHINES Francesco Lonati, Via S. Polo 11, Brescla, Italy Filed Apr. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 815,574 Claims priority, application Italy, Apr. 19, 1968, 15,491/68, Patent 832,245 Int. Cl. D04b /60 US. Cl. 66--14 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a device for the displacement of thread end portions adjacent the cutting and gripping members of double cylinder knitting machines, .said .device comprising a substantially rectilinearwire-like element for the displacement of the thread end portions during the opening of said cutting and gripping members and arranged to extend transversally adjacent the upper end of the latter, a support carrying said wire-like member and mounted for to-and-fro movement on the fixed structure of said cutting and gripping members, and a transverse arm mounted on said supportand arranged to displace the mobile blades of said cutting and gripping members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device designed to displace thread end portions adjacent units for cutting and gripping the threads for thread feeding units of double cylinder knitting machines.

It is known that in double cylinder'knitting machines the thread feeding units, that is comprising a plurality of different threads, to be worked according to predetermined successions, are associated to suitable devices for cutting and gripping the threads. Such deviceshave to-be associated to suction and blowing means designed to suitably displace the end portions of the threadstoward the cy'lin der during the opening phase of the cutting and gripping means so as to avoid the said thread portions from being once again grippedduring the closure'phase of the shears. In fact, due to the shortness of the time of opening of the shears, the end portions of the threads tend to be gripped once again by'the closing shears withconse'quent breakage and wastage of thread which does not allow the successive gripping thereof. I

Said suction and blowing'means resolve said problem but they have the disadvantage of requiring the installation of suitable fans or-pipes which leads to an appreciable increase in'the overall costs of the double cylinder knitting arranged on the left-hand side of the cutting members viewing the knitting machine from outside.

' Another important objectv of the invention is that of providing a device torbe associated'to the thread cutting and gripping units of circular knitting machines which is of simple manufacture and relatively modest cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I These and still other objects, which will better appear hereinafter, are achieved by the device according to the inventionfor the displacement of the-thread end. portions 3,552,149 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 adjacent the thread cutting and gripping units for thread feeding units or double cylinder knitting machines in which the feed is arranged on the left-hand side of the cutter members, said cutting and gripping members comprising a plurality of side-by-side shears, each of which comprises a mobile blade mounted for longitudinal sliding between a fixed blade and a fixed stop member having a rounded edge for retaining the end portions of the threads during the closure of said shears, said device being characterized in that it comprises a preferably substantially wirelike rectilinear member for the displacement of the end portions of the threads during the opening phase of said shears and arranged transversally adjacent the upper portions of said shears and secured to a support mounted for to-and-fro movement on the fixed structure together with the displacement of the mobile blades of said shears, said support having a transverse arm which co-operates with projections associated to said mobile blades or to the relative control means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the invention .will appear more clearly from the following description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the device according to the invention for the displacement of thread end portions, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show perspective views, from opposite sides, of a thread cutting and gripping mechanism on which there is applied the device according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the same device in the closure osition of the shears;

FIG. 4 is a side view taken from the opposite side to that of FIG. 3 with all the shears in the closure position;

FIG. 5 is a side view analogous to that of FIG. 4, in which one shear is in the open position; and

FIGS. 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e and 6f diagrammatically show, in plan view, the thread displacement device according to the invention. in the respective work positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to such figures the device according to the invention is-applied to thread cutting and gripping mechanism of known type comprising a fixed structure 1 which as an upward plate-like extension 1a which is fixed in inclined position adjacent the two cylinders 2 and 3 of the knitting machine adjacent a feeding unit. The feeding'is provided on the left-hand side of the cutting and gripping mechanism, viewing the machine from the outside.

. According to a per se known arrangement, said mechanism comprises a plurality of shears (in the illustrated embodiment six in number) arranged on the lower side of the plate-like body 1a. Each of such shears comprises a mobile, leaf blade 4 slidably mounted for longitudinal sliding between a fixed blade 5 and a common fixed stop member 5a formed by the upper end portion of the platelike body 1 which is suitably rounded.

Each mobile blade 4 is upwardly displaced due to the engagement of an end 6a of a respective lever 6 fulcrumed in 6b on the fixed structure 1. Each lever 6 may be displaced by means of a relative tie-rod 7 against the action of a relative spring 8.

According to the present invention, the displacement device for the thread end portions comprises an extended plate 9 which is laterally mounted on the fixed structure 1 and supports, at its upper end, a wire-like member 10 arranged transversally offset with rectilinear development. Adjacent said member 10 there is arranged another wirelike member 11 of arcuate shape which is secured to the upper portion of the plate-like body 1a.

Said plate 9 is provided with a lower slot 9a which extends substantially parallel to the length of said plate, and an upper slot 9b which is inclined. The shanks of two screws 12 are inserted in said slots and are screwed to the plate-like body In but allow, however, the to-andfro movement of the plate 9.

At its lower end the plate 9 is fast with a transverse arm 13 arranged orthogonally offset so as to engage the end portions 6a of the levers 6. With such arrangement, when any of the levers 6 is displaced due to traction exercised by the relative tie-rod 7, the plate 9 rises together with the mobile blade 4 concerned. During its maximum upward phase, shown in FIG. 5, the plate 9 has its upper portion displaced backwards due to the inclined slot 91), so that the wire-like member 10 is also displaced backwards.

For the return of the plate 9 to the lowered position there is provided a spring 14 which has one end secured to the structure 1 and the other end secured to said plate 9 adjacent the transverse arm 13.

In FIGS. 6a to 6] there are shown the threads arriving from the feeding unit and passing adjacent the device according to the invention.

The threads 15, 16 and 17 are shown in continuous lines and the other threads 18, 19 and 20 are shown with dotted lines (FIG. 6a). The thread-holders 15a, 16a and 17a of the threads 15, 16 and 17 and the thread-holders 18a, 19a and 20a of the threads 18, 19 and 20' are shown in similar manner.

The thread-holders displace, under the action of known mechanisms (not shown), from a rest position to a work position and vice-versa so as to bring into operation the desired threads and exclude the other threads.

The working of the displacement device for the thread end portions according to the invention is as follows. (In order to better clarify the working of the device, the working of the cutting and gripping mechanism is also described).

When no thread is being worked, in the closed arrangement of the shears, the ends of all the threads are gripped between the mobile blades 4 and the fixed stop member a, while all the thread-holders are in rest position (displaced towards the right with reference to FIGS. 6a to 6 Supposing that the thread 15 of a given colour is worked, there occurs the displacement of the thread-holder 15a from the rest position to the work position (FIG. 6a). The thread-holder 15a is consequently caused to approach the needle cylinders (FIG. 6b) so that the relative thread 15 is looped by the said needles. At the same time the shears corresponding to the thread 15 is caused to open so as to free the end thereof and prevent its breakage.

As has been seen, the raising of any of the mobile blades 4 causes the upward and backward displacement of the wire-like member which displaces from the position shown in FIG. 6a to that shown in FIG. 6b, causing in the case under consideration, the raising of the end of the thread 15. In such manner the said thread end is safely carried away from the shears which precedingly grip it and it is made to approach the upper cylinder 2 whose needles completely loop the end portion of said thread 15.

Immediately afterwards the shears of the thread close (FIG. 6c) while the thread 15 forms the loop and is continually pulled through the thread-holder 15a.

During the closure of the shears relative to the thread 15 there is no possibility for the end of said thread to be gripped again, since the wire-like member 10 which suitably forwarded the thread from the shears has been upwardly displaced.

Supposing now that it is desired to substitute the thread 16 for the thread 15 in the working, the control will be given for the displacement of the thread-holder 160 from 4 the mobile blade 4 (shown with dotted lines in FIG. 60) During this displacement the thread 16 passes under the curved wire-like member and above the rectilinear wirelike member 10 since the latter is in the lowered position.

Immediately afterwards the shears relative to the thread 16 (whose mobile blade is shown with a continuous line in FIG. 6e) is opened so that the end of the thread 16 is freed while the wire-like member 10 is raised once again for the raising of said end. In this case too the end portion of the thread 16 is forwarded from the relative shears and displaced towards the needles of the upper cylinder which loop it. Immediately afterwards the shears relative to the thread 16 reclose (which shears will remain empty for all the time in which the thread 16 is worked) while the control is given for the return of the thread-holder 15a to the rest position. The situation thus passes from that of FIG. 6d to that of FIG. 6e. During the return to rest position phase of the thread-holder 15a, the mobile blade 4 (shown with dotted lines in FIG. 62). is caused to rise by the relative shears so that the thread 15 proceeding from the fabric being manufactured passes adjacent such mobile blade to be cut in the subsequent closure phase. The thread 15 leaving the working passes under both the wire-like members 10 and 11 since the member 10 is raised due to the fact that the opening of the shears relative to said thread 15 has taken place.

Besides causing the cutting of the thread 15, the closure of such shears also causes its gripping due to the engagement of the end portion between the mobile blade and the stop member 5a.

The thread 16 proceeds to form the fabric, passing in the thread-holder 16a which is in the work position.

Supposing now that the thread 17 must be brought in and the thread 16 must be taken out, the thread-holder 17a will be displaced towards the work position indicated with dotted lines in FIG. 6 Also in this case the thread 17 gripped by the relative shears will pass below the curved member 11 and above the rectilinear member 10 and becomes looped. Immediately afterwards the shears realtive to the thread 17 will open with the consequent raising of the wire-like rectilinear member 10 which displaces the end of the thread 17 upwards. Then the shears of the thread 17 reclose (remaining empty) while the thread 17 goes to form the fabric, The thread 16 will then be removed from working by means of the displacement of the thread 16 towards the right with successions of phases completely analogous to be described above.

As may be noted, the simple arrangement of the wirelike rectilinear member 10, which is mobile in synchronism with the movement of any one of the mobile blades 4, ensures the forwarding of the end portions of all the threads of the feeding unit from the shears, thus rendering the application of suction and blowing members useless.

The invention as thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all lying within the scope of the inventive concept.

In practice the materials employed and the dimensions may be any according to needs.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for the displacement of thread end portions adjacent the thread cutting and gripping members for thread feeding units of double cylinder knitting machines, in which the feed is arranged on the left-hand side of the cutting and gripping members, said cutting and gripping members comprising a fixed bearing structure thereof, a plurality of side-by-side shears, each of which comprises a mobile blade mounted for longitudinal sliding between a fixed blade and a fixed stop member having a rounded edge for retaining the end portions of the threads during the closure of said shears, said device being characterized in that it comprises a substantially rectilinear wire-like member for the displacement of the end portions of the threads during the opening phase of said shears and arranged transversally adjacent the upper portions of said shears, a support carrying said wire-like member and mounted for to-and-fro movement on said fixed bearing structure of said cutting and gripping members upon displacement of the mobile blades of said shears, said support having a transverse arm which is arranged to engage contol levers connected to said mobile blades.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said support comprises an elongate plate mounted at the side of said fixed structure substantially parallel to said blades and having slots arranged to receive the shanks of securing means for securing said elongate plate to said fixed structure, said elongate plate being fast with said transverse arm, resilient return means being provided for the return of said elongate plate to the rest position.

3. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for causing a displacement of said transverse arm in a direction away from said needle cylinders during the opening phase of said shears.

4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that said support comprises an elongate plate provided with a lower slot which extends substantially longitudinally and an upper inclined slot, said slots being arranged to engage respective pins fast with said fixed structure, said upper slot causing said backwards displacement of said transverse member.

5. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that, during the displacement of a thread-holder towards the Work position, the relative thread is arranged below a curved transverse member fast with said fixed structure and above said wire-like member.

6. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that during the displacement of a thread-holder from the work position to the rest position, the relative thread passes below both a transverse curved member fast with said fixed structure and said Wire-like member, said wire-like member being correspondingly in the raised position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,152,373 8/1915 Stewart 66-445 1,951,842 3/1934 Robinson 66140 2,280,698 4/1942 Goyette 66-14 FOREIGN PATENTS 102,351 10/ 1937 Australia 66-140 511,450 8/ 1939 Great Britain 66l40 WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 66-140 

